Long-time Northwest Employees Honored as President's Customer Service Award Recipients

by Sarah Smith-Hutchinson

Senatobia, MS (08/20/2026) — At Northwest Mississippi Community College's Convocation on Aug. 10, Northwest's President, Dr. Michael J. Heindl announced the newest recipients of the President's Customer Service Awards for Faculty and Staff. Director of Recruiting Jere Herrington received the staff award, and Director of Natural Science Instruction Robin Robison was honored with the faculty award.

Robison has served the college as a faculty member for 36 years and has found success in seeing students understand the course material, and then come back and it helps them later. He said it's especially rewarding to see students come back and teach at Northwest.

Robison received his master's degree in biology from the University of Mississippi, and then an additional 45 hours toward three different Ph.D. programs. He strives to be a fair and good teacher, co-worker, husband, father and friend. He said he hopes he appears to others as a solid Christian who is trying to make a difference in the world.

Herrington has worked at the college for 38 years, where she has been a recruiter who has changed people's lives through helping them through the process of applying, getting scholarships and familiarizing them with campus. She said the greatest part of her career so far has been watching students discover the potential that they have and making them feel like they belong at college, particularly Northwest.

"I love to see them grow, get involved, excel, and graduate, and I love seeing where they go after college," said Herrington. "Sometimes they come full circle and end up back at Northwest."

Herrington said that recruiting isn't just about enrolling students, but it's about developing relationships with the students, parents, high school counselors, faculty, and principals, as well as the community leaders. She said that many of those relationships have lasted well after people have retired, graduated or otherwise moved on.

"It is a privilege to be a part of a student choosing Northwest, and very rewarding when you have worked with them throughout the year to make it happen even when they encounter roadblocks," said Herrington. "It has also been rewarding to see all the changes that have happened in the last 38 years. There have been many programs that have come and gone, so many employees have also come and gone but Northwest has continued to grow, build, renovate and move forward."

She said throughout these 38 years, she's proud of the work she's done, relationships she's built, and proud of all those she has called colleagues and friends through the years since her years as a student at Delta State University.

Herrington has been married to her husband for almost 40 years, and together they have been blessed with two sons, Dex and David who both came through Northwest. Since they have married and had families of their own, Dex and his wife Emily have three children--Hunter who is 4, Jack who is 2, and Tristan who is 1. David and his wife, Mari Alex, have two sons-Owen who is 3, and James who is 1. Outside of work, Herrington likes to spend time with family, read and cook.

To learn more about Northwest, please visit Northwestms.edu.

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